Devil May Cry 4

"Feels more like an enhanced DMC1 than a successor to DMC3"

Ok, I'm not one of those guys to have a really long introduction or anything, so let's just cut to the chase. I'll be going by categories.

Graphics: 8/10

The graphics in this are pretty good. I'm not one to complain about them, though it does annoy me a tiny bit when in certain places it looks more like DMC3 than 4. I know I'm just being picky, but I expected the interior lighting to look a bit better than it does. The shadows are great until you get to the forest, then you want to tear your eyes out of your sockets.

Now, shadows almost never bothered me in a game. In fact, I think this is the first time they have. These shadows look extremely poor and wiggle a hell of a lot. Picture jello with a lot of holes in it. That's what the shadows look like. I actually wish there was an option to turn them off.

Those problems aside, DMC4 is the best looking game of the series, as expected. The character models are extremely well done and Dante looks better than he ever did. The outdoor areas are jaw dropping and reminded me a lot of some of God of War's views. Overall, the visuals are great, but those issues keep the score from receiving the 10.

Sound and Music: 9/10

The sound is extremely good. It's nice to the ears, though sometimes a bit on the loud side, and really brings out the mood in the game. What I don't particularly like is the game's soundtrack. Most of it is absolute crap. I'm a big fan of DMC3's music and went into this game expecting tracks at least equally as good, but instead I hear about 8 or 9 pieces that don't bore me. I really think Capcom got lazy with it this time around, so this gets a 9.

Gameplay: 9/10

Easily the best part of this game and possibly the only thing keeping me playing it. If this was any lower than an 8, I would be returning this game. You'll see why in a minute.

Anyway, the combat is the best of the series, hands down. Now, it isn't as fast as DMC3's, so if you were expecting the game to be as fast paced as Ninja Gaiden, then you will be disappointed. I obviously knew what I was getting, being a big fan of the series and watching nearly every video of the gameplay. I expected Nero to be a bit of a buzzkill due to his lack of weapons, but he makes up for this quite well in having large numbers of stylish moves with the ones he has. His revolver, the Blue Rose, is the only one that feels like a small addon rather than a part of his arsenal. All it does is shoot and, if you're willing to wait forever, charge up and shoot.

Nero's sword, the Red Queen, is where he truly shines. This sword is like a cross between Dante's Rebellion and Squall's Gunblade. You can use it for just regular attacks, but that's not how it's meant to be used. There's a very unique system called the Exceed System that basically has you "Rev" up the sword's motorcycle handle. This infuses the sword with a fuel and causes its next attack(s) to do extra damage and execute much faster. As if this wasn't cool enough, several moves from Nero's set of attacks have special Exceed versions of themselves that are truly spectacular to behold.

Now we move onto Nero's arm, the Devil Bringer. This is basically his set of throws. You can execute the Devil Bringer's attack at any time, given that you are within range of the enemy. The move that executes changes depending on the enemy or boss you hit with it, so there's quite some variety to this weapon. Another really nice touch is that nearly every move is enhanced both in damage and in style if Nero is in his Devil Trigger state, so that adds even more flavor to this interesting arm. Not only that, but the arm plays rolls in latching onto enemies to get them to you or onto bosses to get you to them, and also serves a purpose in some of the game's platforming segments.

Nero gets one last and secret weapon in the game, but it isn't one that you wield normally and involves plot spoilers, so I'll leave that to the player to find out.

Now, onto Dante. This is what it's all about if you're a big fan of past DMC games, especially 3. Dante can now switch styles on the fly. Yes, you are no longer forced into picking one style for each mission. If you want to perform Dance Macabre (Dante's ultimate sword combo attained by the Swordmaster style) and then switch styles to Trickster (Dante's evasion style) to avoid an incoming enemy attack, then switch to Gunslinger and swing your shotgun around to blast everything around you, then you can.

Dante has a much smaller arsenal of weapons than in DMC3, so that may turn some people off. The weapons he does get, however, are great. Along with his sword, the Rebellion, he gets a pair of gauntlets called Gilgamesh that are almost identical to the Beowulf pair from DMC3, though the attacks are a lot cooler this time around. He also gets a very odd but fun weapon called Lucifer. It's hard to describe these other than floating blades that have the ability to shoot magical swords out that explode either upon contact or when the player tells them to. Its combos are quick and brutal and it's just plain fun to use.

His guns are his dual pistols, Ebony and Ivory, and a shotgun named Coyote. The last of his weapons are secrets and I'll let them remain a pleasant surprise to the player. Add all of these weapons and features and then think of the possibilities during combat and you've got yourself one hell deep and rewarding experience.

Onto the gameplay outside of the combat. The puzzles are actually somewhat fun this time around. I'm not saying they don't have their problems. In fact, one of them had the potential to really get on my nerves, but I managed to get by it on the first try. Just imagine trying to cross a platform with disappearing segments while 2 flying enemies constantly try to knock you off.

The game can get pretty repetitive at times. I was really against the idea of this when I saw it mentioned in every review prior to getting the game, but I can see why people are complaining. The Dante section in particular is almost entirely devoid of any plot progression. You basically run all the way to a place with Nero, then run ALLLL the way back with Dante. Add in the occasional cutscene between him and a boss and that's all you've got.

Despite the flaws in the gameplay, the combat is more than good enough to make up for them, so this gets a solid 9 out of 10.

Story: 5/10

This is where the game dies. Just dies. I haven't been this disappointed in a sequel's story since Final Fantasy X-2. Capcom blew it this time. In DMC1, I could tolerate it. It was great for its time and pretty original. DMC2 kind of just flew under the radar and nobody really cared for its story, which sucked anyway. DMC3 brought the series back with its captivating and very interesting plot, but DMC4 abso-damn-lutely fails to follow up as a "The first true sequel" to the series. Think of every single cliche you've seen in Japanese animes about demons and you've got DMC4.

Let's go through the checklist, shall we? Emo demon hunter with a certain device or ability that interests the Veteran or Main Guy of the series. Check. Giant walking statues. Check. Extremely slutty women. Check. Crazy cultists. Check. This game's story just fails in so many ways, I actually wanted to cry when I finished Nero's first part of the story. The only interesting part of the story is Nero's Devil Bringer arm, and that's only because it's a reference to one of the most significant and coolest characters of the series.

I just can't get over this game's horrible storyline, especially after the masterpiece that was DMC3. Some people may like it, though, and I'm willing to bet all of the people that do have never seen an Anime or played God of War. This is the reason why I would have turned this game back in if the combat wasn't as good as it is. I'm almost to the point where I hope Capcom discontinues the series just because they keep screwing up the story. This gets a crappy 5 out of 10.

All in all, DMC4 is a good game. It's nowhere close to perfect, or even outstanding, but it's a solid game with a combat system that will keep fans and veterans of the series alike playing for dozens and dozens of hours. As the tagline says, though, this game feels more like an enhanced version of the first game rather than a successor to the third one.

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 02/08/08

Game Release: Devil May Cry 4 (US, 02/05/08)